Hood latch



C, HOLLERTH Feb. 14, 1933.

HOOD LATCH Filed July 8, 1950 FIG. i

Zarka AHQRNEY FIC-3.5

FIG. 3

Patented Feb. 14, 19733 CHARLES HOLLERITEJI, F JACKSON, MICEIGAN,ASSGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

T0 TEBNSTEDT MANUFACTURENG COMPANY, O1 D-ETR'OT, lvC-IIGAN, A CORPO-RATGN 0F MICHIGAN HOOD LATCH Application led July 8,

This application relates to latches for closures and is disclosed hereinwith particular reference to such closures as antoniobile engine hoods.l

One ot the objects ot the invention is to construct a hood latch oi'great strength, light construction and pleasing appearance.

Another obj ect of the invention is to construct a hood latch withspring connection between the operating handle and the hook so that itvfill be yieldingly held against the keeper when in closed position andanother spring connection between the hood and a stationary member toyieldingly hold the noch in unlatched position, the parts being sodesigned as to give maximum strength to the spring connections Withminimum size of the cooperating parts.

@ther objects will appear in the appended description, reference beingiad to the drawing in which:

Fig. l is a section through a portion of an engine hood and hood sillshowing the latch in operative position in respect tothe keeper.

is a central section in the plane of the paper of the latch in Fig. 1With the latch in open position.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line B--B of Fie'. 1.

liig. d is a section taken on the line rfi-A of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the slide to which the handle isattached.

lfig. G is a perspective View oit the hook and shank.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the baci; plate of the latch.

My invention is an improvement on the latch construction disclosed inapplication No. 320,468 of Charles W. l fTalters. n that latch the hookmember moves between the sides of the slide so Jhat the spring enclosedby the sides of the hook member is of small diameter compared to theWidth of the slide. l construct the slide and the hook member so thatthey are of substantially the same Width Which permits one to use alarger spring between the sides of the hool member With the same Widthot slide.

My invention is also an improvement on 1930. Serial No. 466,484.

the latch in the above mentioned application oit Charles W. ldlalters inthat a second spring is employed to hold the slide in open position.rlhus the hook is not only yieldingiy held in engagement with the keeperWhen it is locked but the liool and slide are also yieldingly held inopen position When the latch is out of engagement with the keeper.

Referring to the drawing, the latch memi ber proper is made up of aslide l having tivo spaced sides 2, 3, in the upper part vith bent-overends 5 and 5 to form a spring abutment 4l. his slide is open at the topand receives an operating handle 6 pivoted in the holes 7, 8, in thesides by means of a bolt or pin 9. The slide 1 has an extension orfinger i() bent over at the 4lower end to form a second spring abutment11. To give the finger 10 added strength a bead 12 is preferably formedtherein as Well as in the abutment 11.

The slide 1 is open at the bach between the sides 2 and 3 to torni aslot, the ends of which are designated by dotted lines 13, 14, in Fig.v5. To prevent corner cracks forming in this slot the sides adjacent theend of the slot may be out out as at 15.

In the construction shown in thev drawing the slide of Fig. 5 would bemade from a sheet of metal stamped into the shape shown, thus givingstrength and rigidity with lightness and 10W cost.

The hook member consists of the hook proper designated by referencecharacter 16 and a shank 17. rlhis hook member in the modification shownin the drawing is stamped from sheet metal into the shape shown in Fig.6. The shank has a back 18 and tvvo sides 19 and 20 so that it is openat the remaining side. The sides 19 and 2O are bent over to form aspring abut-ment 21. The hook member 16- as shoivn in Fig. 6 has tvvosides of channel shape Which meet at the top line 23 and at the bottomline 24. The sides of the hook also have bottom eX- tensions 25, 26pressed into engagement and spot Welded, riveed or otherwise securedtogether. This construction gives great rigidity ;tor the amount ofmaterial used in the hook. The upper surface of the hook is madeslanting, as shown, to engage the slanting surface 27 of the keeper 28,Which keeper may he secured to the sill 2S) of the automobile frame orto the cowl at one end of the hood and to the radiator at the other,Whichever form is preferred. The slide of Fig. 5 is assembled inrelation to the hook shank by fitting the abutment 11 into the openingbetween the sides 19 and 20 of the hook with a spring between theabutments 11 and 21. This spring 30 is normally under tension and willhold abutment 21 against abutment l, thus holding the hook and slidetogether when they are removed from connection with tie other parts.

By the construction described it will be seen that the outer plane ofthe sides 2 and 3 of the slide 1 do not extend beyond, and preferablyare in the same plane as, the planes of the outer sides 19 and 2O of theshank 17 of the hook. This permits of the use of a. spring 30 ofincreased diameter. lf the sides 2 and 3 of the slide extended down tothe foot 11 the shank of the hook would have to be made narrower to passbetween these sides and the spring 30 would be ci smaller diameter. Thusby cutting away these sides and using project-ing finger on the slide lam able to use a larger spring Without changing the proportions of theotherA parts or the latch.

The slide and hook assembly as just described lit in a housing or framemade up of a channel member 31 preferably having a bead 32 to receivethe bead 12 of the finger and a back plate 33 (Fig. 7). The back plate33 has an extension bent outwardly to form a cam member and theninwardly to enter a slot 35 in the top of the channel shaped part of'the housing, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The projection 3e of the backplate is preferably bentdownward at 36 to form a depression toyieldingly hold the cam 37 of the handle 6 in thelatched position, asshown in Fig. This projection or cam follower ma res it easier to liftthe slide by the cam. The greater the movement of the slide the long'-er this projecting piece should be 'to obtain the same ease of lift. A.spring 38 is assembled in position between 'the abutments e and theabutment formed by the opposite side of depression 36.

The back plate is pierced at a plurality of places to form holes 16which register -with holes in the outwardly extended sides 39 of thechannel shaped member e1 so that rivets, bolts or other fastening means+17 may pass through the back plate, the channel member` and the side ofthe hood, as shown in Fig. 1, to rigidly fasten the latch Vto the hood.To fasten the back plate 33 to the channel member 31 with the hook,slide and springs housed therein I preferably stamp lugs 40 so as toextend, as shown in Fig. 7. These lugs enter slots in the sides 39 ofthe channel member and are upset to hold the parts together, thus thelatch is rigid and may be handled or stored as a separate unit beforeassembled with the hood. If desired, the end 41 of the extension on theback plate may be upsetto uphold the parts of the housing together whenassembled.

To keep the hook from engaging with the keeper on raising the hood bythe handle or bail (not shown) in the unlatched position of the latch Iform a guard 412 as shown clearly in Fig. 1. This guard may be anintegral extension of the channel member of the housing and to give itadded strength a bead 43 may be stamped therein.

lVhen the parts have been assembled as thus described and the handlesecured in the upper part of the slide by the bolt or pin 9 the latch iscomplete and may be sold as a separate unit to be placed in position onthe hood of automobile engines. The hood of course would be slotted atda to receiv the handle and also to receive the projectinO' cam 37 onsurface 311 of the extension on the back plate 33. Vhen thus assembledthe rivets or bolts will hold the latch to the engine hood. Theoperation of the laten is as follows:

To latch the engine hood the latter Will be dropped into position Withthe handle, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2 and dotted lines in Fig. 1.The hook Will then be be-` low the guard 42, as shown in dotted lines inFig. 2. The hood Will then rest against rail 45 and the guard l l2 andthe hook will be vertically beneath the keeper surface 27. The handle 6on being depressed to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, willthrough cam 37, engaging cam surface 34, raise the pin 9 and theattached slide 1. Cam surface 34 on the bac i plate of course remainsstationary. Movement of the handle therefore raises the slide 1 andcompresses spring 38 between the movable abutment l and the stationaryabutment beneath surface 36. The movement of the slide also tends tocompress spring 30 Vbetween abutments 11 and 21. This yieldingly pulls,shank 17 and the hook 1G upward until the hook engages surface 27 onkeeper 23. The parts are so designed that when this engagement takesplace the cam 37 has not quite cleared cam surface 34: so as to continuethe compression of spring 30 to alivays insure that the hook Will beheld in engagement With the keeper by sprintf action. Continued movementof the opera g handle brings the cam 37 into the deprcsion 36 Where itis held by the spring action on the slide 1. Due to the slanting surface27 of thel keeper 28 the hood is pulled inward Cil in the latchedposition until the lower part rests against the rail 45, thus holding itrigidly in position.

To unlatch the hood handle 6 on raising orings the cam 37 out of thedepression 36 and over the cam surface 34. As the cam surface rises thespring 3S forces the slide l, the hook shank 17 and the hook 16 downwardbecause the rising of the cam surface permits the pin 9 to descend. Whenthe handle is once started in the raised posi tion the slide and hookwill lower until the hook is beneath the guard Ll2 and clears the keepersurface 27. The hood is thus unlatclied and it may be raised either bythe handles 6 or by a separate bail attached thereto, preferably thelatter in most cases, hood latches are ordinarily placed on each edge ofthe hood and are too far apart to be used to comfortably raise the hood,cspecially with engines of more than siX cylinders in line.

By constructing the hood in the way described, the sides 19 and 2O ofthe hook shank are spaced as far apart as the sides 2 and 8, which areapproximately coextensive therewith. lThis permits the spring 30 to beof the same diameter as the spring 3S, which is an important featuresince it is advisable to hold the hook against the keeper with highspring pressure.

The spring 38 of course could be omitted and obtain still the featuresinherent in the remaining parts of the latch, but it is preferable touse this spring as otherwise the slide handle and hook would be held inthe open position only by gravity which would cause the parts to rattle.

lWhile have shown the keeper as attached to the sill of the automobilebody adjacent the engine the ieeper may be attached on one end to thecowl and on the other to the radiator shell so that the hood will bemore independent of body movements.

The handle of the latch may be plated with nickel or chromium orotherwise iinished to harmonize with the finish of the hood orautomobile body. It is usually desirable to make the stampings in thelatch of steel and to plate these parts with cadmium or some other noncorrosive met-al that may be plated at low cost.

Having described my invention, what l claim is:

l. ln hood latches, a shank having two spaced sides, a hook on one'endof said shank, a slide aligned with said shank and located between theplanes of the outside surfaces of the sides thereof, means including aspring for yieldingly resisting relative movement between the shank andslide, a housing for said slide, means for moving the slide within thehousing.

Q. In engine hood latches, a hook iaving a shank with two spaced sides,a slide having two spaced sides aligned with and abutting against saidshank but located within the planes of the outside surface of the sidesthereof, a spring located between the sidesl of said shank to yieldinglyresist movement between the slide and shank, a frame around said slide,and means for moving said slide to move the hook and place tension onsaid spring.

8. In engine hood latches, a hook having a shank with two spaced sidesand an abutment, a slide having two spaced sides aligned with andabutting against said shank but located between the outside surfaces ofthe sides thereof, a finger attached to said slide having a secondabutment, a spring between said abutments, a third abutment on saidslide, a frame around said slide, a fourth abutment attached to saidframe, a spring between said third and fourth abutments, means formoving said slide and hook in relation to said frame, and a guard fixedto the hood positioned above the hook when in unlatclied position.

i. ln hood latches, a shank having two spaced sides, a hook on one endof said shank, a slide aligned with said shank and located between theplanes of the outside surfaces of the sides thereof, means including aspring for yieldingly resisting relative movement between the shank andslide, a housing for said slide, means fo1 moving the slide within thehousing, and means including a spring for yieldingly resisting saidmovement.

5. ln engine hood latches, a hook having a shank with two spaced sides,a slide having two spaced sides aligned with and abutting against saidshank but located within the planes of the outside surface of the sidesthereof, a spring located between the sides of said shank to yieldinglyresist movement between the slide and shank, a frame around said slide,a spring located between the sides of the slide to yieldingly resistmovement between the slide and the frame, and means for moving saidslide to move the hook and place tension on said spring. c

6. In engine hood latches a hook having a shank with two spaced sidesand an abutment, a slide having two spaced sides aligned with andabutting against said shank but located between the outside surfaces ofthe sides thereof, a linger attached to said slide having a secondabutment, a spring between said abutments, a third abutment on saidslide, a frame around said slide, a fourth abutment attached to said.

frame, a spring between said third and fourth abutments, and means formoving said slide and hook in relation to said frame.

7. In engine hood latches, a hook having a shank with two spaced sidesand an abutment, a slide having two spaced sides aligned with andabutting against said shank but located between the outside surface ofthe sides thereof, a linger attached to said slide having Ya secondabutment, a spring between said abutinents, a third abutment on saidslide, a frame around the slide, a fourth abutment attached to saidframe, a spring etween said third and fourth abutment, and a handlelever pivoted in said slide and having a cam engaging said fourthabutment.

8. In engine hood latches, a `hoolr having a shank with two spaced sidesandan abutment, a slide having two spaced sides aligned with andabutting against said shank but located between the outs le surface ofthe sides thereof, a linger attached to said slide having a hook on itsfree end, said linger and hook having astrengthening bead formedtherein, a spring between said abutment and the hook on said linger, athird abutment on said slide, a frame around the slide having a fourthabutment, a spring between the third and fourth abutments, and a handlelever pivoted on said slide and having a cam engaging said fourthabutment.

9. In engine hood latches a shank having a hook on one end and anabutment on the other, a slide having sides terminating at saidabutment, a linger on said slide extending from said abutment towardsthe heck, said linger having a second abutment, a spring between saidabutments, a third abutment attached to said slide, a cam plate, aspring between said third abutment and said cam plate, and means forplacing tension on both of said springs.

10. ln engine hood latches, a hooli having a shank with sp( ced sidesforming an open channel, an abutment aty one end of said shank, a slideengaging the outside of said abutment and having spaced sides locatedwithin the outside surface planesrof said shank whereby the channel inthe shank is at least as large as the channel between the spaced sidesof the slide, a pivot pin on said slide, a third abutment on said slideprojecting between the spaced sides said shank, a spring between thefirst and third abutment, a fourth abutment adapted. to be secured tothe hood, a spring between the second and fourth abutments, and meansattached to said pin for moving said slide to place tension on both ofsaid springs.

11. In hood latches, a keeper, a movable hook member, a spring urgingthe hook to move away from the keeper, a handle, and spring meansbetween the handle and the hook to move the hook into engagement withthe keeper when the handle is moved to close the latch. f

12. In hood latches, a stationary member,

a movable hook member, an operating member movable relatively to thestationary and the hook members, a spring between the 0perating and thestationary members, a spring between the operating and the hook members,and a handle to move the slide against the action of the first mentionedspring and to move the hook member through the second mentioned spring.

13. In hood latches, a stationary member, a movable hook member, amovable operating member, a compression spring between the hook andoperating members, a handle pivcted to the operating member and having acam engaging the stationary member, and a compression spring between theoperating member and the stationary member.

14. In hood latches, a stationary housing, a shank having a hookslidable in said housing, a slide movable relatively to said housing andto said shank, a spring between the shank and the slide, a springbetween the housing and said slide, and a handle to more the slideagainst the action of the last mentioned spring and to move the shanktln'ough the lirst mentioned spring.

15. ln hood latches, a stationary housing, a shank slidable in saidhousing and having a hook, a slide telescoping with said shank, acompression spring between said hook and slide, a compression springbetween the slide and the housing, a. handle pivoted to the slide andhaving a cam, and a cam seat with which said cam engages.

16. in hood latches, a hood having a slot, a housing inside said hoodand adjacent said slot, a slide movable in said housing, a handl pivotedto said slide and having a cam, and a cam follower protruding outwardlythrough said slot to reduce the resisting force of the cam followernormal to `the cam.

17. ln hood latches, a. hood having a slot, a hook member, a handle insaid slot having a cam, a connection between the handle and the hoekmember, and a cam follower projecting outwardly through said slot.

1S. in hood latches, Va hood having a slot, a housing inside the hood, aslide in the housing, a handle pivoted to the slide and .havinor a cam,and a cam follower consisting or a strip extending outwardly through theslot and inwardly across the housing.

19. ln hood latches, a member having a hook, a guard adjacent the hook,and a handle to move the hook to unlatching positien and beneath theguard.

20. in hood latches, a keeper, a member having a hook, a guard adjacentthe hook, and a handle for moving the hook out of Contact with thekeeper and beneath said guard.

21. In hood latches, a housing, a member litting in said housing andhaving a hook,

CJI

a guard attached to said housing adjacent said hook, and a handle formoving said member in the housing to position the hook beneath saidguard.

1n testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification thisthird day o July, 1930.

CHARLES HOLLERITH.

